Portuguese Football in English
Sporting have announced their first couple of signings ahead of the new season after completing a double-swoop for Portugal international Vitorino Antunes and Manchester City’s Pedro Porro.
The Lions take Antunes off Getafe’s hands after the left-back’s contract with the La Liga club came to an end, meanwhile Porro joins Rubén Amorim’s side on a two-year-loan, with a view to a permanent deal, after a season with Real Valladolid in his native Spain.
With the memories of last season still fresh in the minds of all, those in command of Primeira Liga outfits have done a stern job of diverting attentions towards the new campaign as new managerial appointments and some of their most-wanted acquisitions begin to walk through the door.
Dominating the news have been Benfica after the return of Jorge Jesus, with the Eagles set to be the most active club in the market in their bid to dethrone FC Porto as champions. The Dragons haven’t stood still either in these early stages of the transfer window, meanwhile the likes of Sporting, Sporting de Braga, Rio Ave and Vitória de Guimarães all layout plans of their own to close in on the habitual leaders of the pack.
With the market set to intensify in coming weeks and months, here’s some of the business already made amongst the 18 Liga NOS clubs, alongside a few more deals on the cusp of being made.
Benfica have fired up the buzz around preparations for the new season with a triple swoop for Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen, SC Freiburg striker Gian-Luca Waldschmidt and Grêmio star Everton Cebolinha.
The Eagles had been in negotiations with the trio for a number of weeks and they now headline a list of signings under Jorge Jesus that totals six new faces, following the buys of Pedrinho, Gilberto and Helton Leite.
Good news for fans of Portuguese football residing in the UK and Ireland! LiveScore has announced expanded rights for its 2020/21 Free-To-Air Football Service, including an average of three matches every round of Portugal’s Primeira Liga.
After achieving half a million viewers since June, the popular mobile phone app has confirmed the leagues available for live streaming next season: Primeira Liga, Serie A, Eredivisie and the Chinese Super League alongside a host of global competitions.
Tondela pulled off a final day relegation escape act to maintain their top flight status for another season. It’s becoming something of a custom for the Viseu-based side, saving their salvation right to the very end for the fourth time in the last five seasons in Portugal.
What follows is the story of how the Primeira Liga’s very own Houdini act repeated the trick time and time again.
